Quantum Operation Non-Invasive Glucose Monitor: World’s First-Ever Non-Invasive Needle-Less Wearable

January 12, 2022

Key Points

Quantum Operation Inc., announces a medical miracle at the CES 2022
The Japanese IoT startup claims it has developed a non-invasive glucose monitor
Called the Noninvassive Glucometer Wristband, the device promises to revolutionize diabetes management

Blood glucose monitoring is crucial in managing diabetes as it keeps track of the changes in a person’s blood sugar levels, which in effect, provides vital information on how food, exercise, stress and habits affect the disease.

Over the years, scientists, engineers and even tech giants have tried to come up with a non-invasive blood glucose monitoring device that diabetics can use, but to no avail. Interestingly, Quantum Operation, a Japanese healthcare IoT startup, claims that it has developed a Noninvasive Glucometer Wristband — a needle-less and accurate blood glucose monitoring wearable that is capable of non-stop monitoring.

Advanced medical technology

Quantum Operation’s Noninvasive Glucometer Wristband offers a far simpler and easier solution that will not require patients to prick their finger for a blood sample that would then be used on test strips of traditional glucose meters. But how is this even possible?

Aviation

H2 Clipper Will Resurrect Hydrogen Airships to Haul Green Fuel Across the Planet

January 12, 2022

By Edd Gent

Airships might seem like a technology from a bygone era, but a startup says their new design could become a crucial cog in the green hydrogen supply chain.

While transitioning away from fossil fuels will prove crucial in our efforts to combat climate change, it’s easier said than done for some industries. While road and rail transport are rapidly electrifying, in aviation, batteries are a long way from being able to provide the weight-to-power ratio required for aviation. And even the largest batteries are still not big enough to power a container ship on long-distance crossings.

Hydrogen is increasingly being seen as a promising alternative for these hard to decarbonize sectors. It has a higher energy density than natural gas and can either be burned in internal combustion engines or combined with oxygen in a fuel cell to create electricity.

While much of today’s hydrogen is derived from natural gas and therefore not much better than fossil fuels, in theory you can also make it by using renewable electricity to power electrolyzers that split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Producing green hydrogen economically is still a huge challenge, but there are hopes that it could help wean hard to electrify sectors off polluting fossil fuels.

But transporting hydrogen remains a sticking point: Areas that are abundant in renewable energy such as sun and wind are not always close to where the hydrogen is needed. Shipping large amounts of the gas around the world will clearly be a major logistical challenge, but a start-up called H2 Clipper has an ingenious workaround.

Medical Breakthrough

A HUMAN SKIN ‘BAND-AID’ PRINTER IS LAUNCHING INTO SPACE

January 12, 2022

By Matthew Hart

In December of 2021 SpaceX sent its 24th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). On board the mission were various experiments—including ones involving plants and potential cures for cancer. A bioprinter that uses “viable cells” to print tissue structures was also aboard. And it makes human skin “band-aids.”

Design Taxi reported on the delivery of the bioprinter, or Bioprint FirstAid, which is a handheld device. The device, in the images above and below, uses a patient’s own skin cells to create tissue-forming patches to cover wounds. And, simultaneously, accelerate the healing process.

NASA notes the device—which kind of looks like a tape dispenser with a bendy syringe instead of tape—uses prepared bio-inks consisting of a patient’s own cells. The collection of human skin cells, coupled with a “crosslinking” material, form a “band-aid patch” in the case of an injury. (Unfortunately, it’s unclear what the cell band-aid looks like as it heals. Or after it has healed. Although it seems to spread as a clear, viscous liquid.)

Robots

THIS AUTOMATED WALL-CLIMBING ROBOT WAS DESIGNED BY HAUSBOTS TO STREAMLINE HOME-CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

January 11, 2022

BY SHAWN MCNULTY-KOWAL

HB1 is an automated wall-climbing robot that was designed to streamline home construction projects.

No matter the size, location, style, or chosen building material–when it comes to constructing houses, it can be a dangerous job. Even with bulky construction vehicles, building homes requires a lot of finesse and attention. As our technological worlds evolve, so do our tools and that includes those used for home construction. Home-building robotics company Hausbots developed an automated, climbing construction robot called HB1 to help get home projects done.

Batteries

No Mo’ ’Splosions? Nanotech Energy Unveils Fireproof Graphene Battery

January 11, 2022

Nonflammable OrganoLyte electrolyte promises to last longer and charge faster.

By Frank Markus

Wow, the claims Nanotech Energy makes for its new graphene battery, just presented at CES Unveiled, are impressive: It retains more than 80 percent of its rated capacity through 1,400 cycles, can charge “18 times faster than anything that is currently available on the market,” maintains performance at extreme temperatures (-40 to 140 degrees F), holds charge at temperatures as high as 350 degrees and won’t catch fire when penetrated with a nail or heated to more than 1,300 degrees, don’t require exotic materials, can be manufactured on existing equipment in various form factors (cylindrical, pouch, etc. ), and is going to be produced in a new plant in Nevada slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Given all that, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that driving an EV powered by such batteries also promoted weight loss and prevented tax audits. Here’s what we know about the Nanotech Energy graphene battery.

Driverless vehicles

Self-Driving Cab-Less Delivery Van Can Carry Up 2,000 Lbs of Cargo, Make 80 Stops Per Run

January 11, 2022

by Florina Spînu

California-based startup Udelv unveiled the first cab-less electric delivery van virtually at CES 2022. Called the Transporter, the vehicle will use Mobileye’s vision-sensing technology that will allow it to achieve Level 4 autonomous operation for last- and middle-mile delivery of goods.

The Transporter features a modular pod that is capable of carrying up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg) of cargo that includes anything from convenience goods, e-commerce packages, and auto parts to electronics and medical supplies.

“The Transporter is transformative for two of the world’s largest industries: automotive and logistics. It was created to solve two great challenges of commercial fleets: the shortage of drivers and the electrification of fleets,”said Udelv CEO Daniel Laury.

The vehicle can make up to 80 stops per run at speeds that reach 70 mph (113 kph). It has a battery capacity between 90 and 160 kWh. The cab-less van can cover between 160 and 300 miles (257-483 km) depending on the chosen battery pack. The company says that it will take less than an hour to add up to 220 miles (322 km) of range when recharged at a DC Fast Charging station.

Futurati Podcast, Science & Technology News

Futurati Podcast with Gary Bolles

January 11, 2022

Watch on Youtube

Listen on the Futurati Podcast

Gary Bolles is Chair for the Future of Work at Singularity University, the author of “The Next Rules of Work”, and an expert in how jobs, teams, and organizations will evolve in the years ahead.

Stem cells

Stem cells instead of drugs? Northwestern trial testing a way to help strengthen transplant patients’ immune systems

January 10, 2022

By MADELINE BUCKLEY

Before her mother’s kidney transplant, Arianna Barrett watched a medical professional carefully extract stem cells from her own neck with a feeling that she was observing scientific developments in real time.

Since her mother was diagnosed with kidney disease, Barrett, a 36-year-old Chicago teacher, always knew she wanted to donate a kidney to her mother, even though her mother, Margaret Rainey, had reservations about her daughter having a major surgery.ADVERTISEMENT

But the mother-daughter pair did more than share an organ. Doctors transplanted stem cells from Barrett into her mother to teach Rainey’s immune system to recognize her new kidney.

“It was a little daunting, but so cool to see how far the medicine has come,” Barrett said.

AI

EYE IN THE SKY

January 10, 2022

Chinese AI-driven satellite takes ultra-high res images of US city from orbit at speeds ‘never before seen’

China’s Beijing-3 satellite was able to take hi-res images of the San Francisco Bay area

By Jon Rogers

CHINA has developed a powerful AI satellite capable of taking hi-res images of cities in a matter of seconds.

Beijing-3, a small one-tonne commercial satellite, can take images clear enough to be able to identify a military vehicle on the street and tell what type of weapon it might be carrying, according to researchers.

The satellite was launched by China in June and performed an in-depth scan of the central San Francisco Bay area, covering 1,470 square miles, the journal Spacecraft Engineering reports.

Most satellites observing the Earth must be stable when taking image because altitude control mechanisms can produce vibrations that blur the images.

But in the Chinese experiment on June 16, the satellite was able to change the angle of its camera’s line of sight to the ground when passing over the US.

The movement meant it could capture a larger area than satellites have been previously able to.

The pictures were taken at an altitude of 310 miles and had a resolution of 50 centimetres per pixel with the test showing the satellite could take images while its body was twisting at up to 10 degrees per second, a speed not seen on a satellite before.

Driverless vehicles

World’s first fully driverless truck trip: TuSimple’s autonomous semi traveled 80 miles on public roads from Tucson to Phoenix with no one at the wheel

January 10, 2022

By STACY LIBERATORE

The truck, developed by TuSimple, cruised along I-10 from Tucson, Arizona to Phoenix for one-hour and 20 minutes
This is the world’s first fully driverless trip taken by a semitruck
No human was at the wheel or inside truck during its 80-mile journey
The truck also operated on public roads, highways and through congested areas

TuSimple’s autonomous semitruck recently completed the world’s first driverless trip, which saw the vehicle travel 80 miles in Arizona without a safety person at the wheel or any human intervention.

The nighttime drive on December 22 started at a railyard in Tucson, traveled along 1-10 for one hour and 20 minutes, and ended at a distribution center in Phoenix.

Along the journey, TuSimple’s Autonomous Driving System (ADS) successfully navigated surface streets, traffic signals, on-ramps, off-ramps, emergency lane vehicles, and highway lane changes in open traffic while naturally interacting with other motorists, according to the company.

This trip is also the first time a class 8 autonomous truck has operated on open public roads and TuSimple says this is only the beginning of its technology’s abilities.

drones

How Meituan is redefining food delivery in China with drones

January 9, 2022

Descending from the cloudy heavens, drones are helping the company get to places harder to reach by bike or car

By Rita Liao

On a congested sidewalk next to a busy mall in Shenzhen, a 20-something woman uses a smartphone app to order a milk tea on Meituan, a major food delivery company. In less than 10 minutes, the pearl-white drink arrives, not on the back of one of the city’s ubiquitous delivery bikes, but descending from the cloudy heavens, in a cardboard box on the back of a drone, into a small roadside kiosk. The only thing the scene is missing is a choir of angels.

Over the past two years, Meituan, one of China’s largest internet companies, has flown 19,000 meals to 8,000 customers across Shenzhen, a city with close to 20 million people. The pilot program is available to just seven neighborhoods, each with a three-kilometer stretch, and only from a select number of merchants. The drones deliver to designated streetside kiosks rather than hover outside people’s windows as envisioned by sci-fi writers. But the trials are proof of concept for Meituan’s ambitions, and the company is now ready to ramp up its aerial delivery ambitions.

Tencent-backed Meituan isn’t the only Chinese tech giant that hopes to fill urban skies with tiny fliers. Alibaba, which runs Meituan’s rival Ele.me and e-commerce powerhouse JD.com, have also invested in similar drone delivery services in recent years.

On the back of the pilot program, Meituan has applied to operate a commercial drone delivery service across all of Shenzhen, Mao Yinian, head of the company’s drone delivery unit, said at a press event this month. The application, submitted in September, is currently under review by Shenzhen’s aviation authority and is expected to receive approval in 2022, though the actual timeline is subject to government decisions.

“We went from experimenting in the suburbs to a central area. That means our operational capability has reached a new level,” said Chen Tianjian, technical expert at Meituan’s drone business, at the same event.

Blockchain

Altaeros partners with World Mobile to raise blockchain network to the sky

January 9, 2022

By Lindsey Schutters

World Mobile, the first mobile network built on blockchain and run by the people, partners with Altaeros, developers of the world’s first autonomous aerostats, to connect the unconnected.

Altaeros is focused on developing and deploying innovative infrastructure solutions

Through this partnership, Altaeros and World Mobile will provide low-altitude aerostats (tethered balloon platforms) with a coverage area of approximately 8 000 square kilometres each, forming part of World Mobile’s Dynamic Network.

Several aerostats will launch in Zanzibar anchoring the network and delivering connectivity near to 100 percent of the island. Each aerostat will connect hundreds of thousands of subscribers and each subscriber on the network will create a blockchain wallet. World Mobile will be deploying thousands of aerostats across the continent.

The aerostat system consists of a helium-filled envelope and stabilising fins. The unique three-tethered architecture limits the aerostat’s movement in the air (pitch, roll and yaw), which is essential in stabilizing telco coverage so connectivity doesn’t drop in and out.

The aerostat is attached to a movable mooring platform with built-in software that adjusts the balloon’s position depending on wind conditions. The onboard communication system, using beamforming technology (a technique that focuses a wireless signal towards a specific receiving device) will allow 3G, 4G and 5G handsets to connect directly and will also connect WM AirNodes in the vicinity via traditional and alternative spectrums.